Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, and glifaa President Jeff Anderson will deliver remarks at a flag raising ceremony to fly the Progress flag at the Department of State's Harry S Truman building. The flag-raising ceremony will take place on Friday, June 25, 2021, at 3:30 p.m.
The Progress flag is a symbol of the diversity and intersectionality of LGBTQI+ persons and communities around the world. As announced by Secretary Blinken, the flag will be flown during the period of June 26 to June 28 to mark two important turning points in the fight for LGBTQI+ rights: June 26, the anniversary of the historic Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples and is the law of the land; and June 28, which marks the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall riots of 1969.
This event is coordinated in partnership with glifaa - LGBTQI+ Pride in Foreign Affairs Agencies, the State Department's official LGBTQI+ Employee Affinity Group.
The event will be outdoors and open to the press. This event will be live streamed on www.state.gov.
Pre-set time for video cameras: 2:45 p.m. from the C Street Entrance.
Final access time for journalists and still photographers: 3:15 p.m. from the C Street Entrance.
Media representatives may attend this event upon presentation of one of the following: (1) A U.S. Government-issued identification card (Department of State, White House, Congress, Department of Defense or Foreign Press Center), (2) a media-issued photo identification card, or (3) a letter from their employer on letterhead verifying their employment as a journalist, accompanied by an official photo identification card (driver's license, passport).
